This policy should be read in conjunction with our guidelines for authors. This policy applies to all journals and research monographs and edited volumes published by Méduse d’Or Publications. The ethical policy of Méduse d’Or Publications complies with the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
1.0. Ethics of authorship
1.1. When determining the credit for a piece of work, authors should ensure that all those who have made a significant contribution are cited as co-authors. Other individuals who have contributed to the study in a lesser capacity should be acknowledged, but not cited as authors. Authors should not use acknowledgements misleadingly to imply a contribution or endorsement by individuals who have not, in fact, been involved with the work or given an endorsement. Authors should also acknowledge important work and intellectual contributions of others, including collaborators, assistants, and funders, who have influenced the reported research in appropriate form, and cite related work correctly.
1.2. All authors are fully responsible for the content of a publication, unless otherwise specified. Authors must not fabricate, falsify or misrepresent data or results. They should strive to be objective, unbiased and truthful in all aspects of their work.
1.3. Authors should strive to avoid mistakes in research and exercise due diligence in presenting high quality work for publication. They should critically assess the likelihood of experimental, methodological and human errors and avoid self-deception and bias. Where possible they should conduct an internal review to assess the validity of their work before publication.
1.4. It is, of course, recognised that errors will occur from time to time. When an error is discovered in published or submitted work, the mistake should be admitted and a corrigendum, erratum or retraction should be published. Corrections should be approved by all authors of the original article.
2.0. Responsibility of the corresponding author
2.1. It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to ensure that all named authors have approved the submitted version of the manuscript, agree to its submission and are willing to take appropriate responsibility for it. All authors should be consulted about any subsequent changes to authorship (e.g. the list of authors) during the publication process, and it should be made clear to the publisher and/or editor that they have given their consent.
3.0. Referencing
3.1. Authors have a responsibility to acknowledge the work of others used in their research and to cite publications that have influenced their study. Information obtained in private correspondence or conversation should only be used with the explicit permission of the individuals involved.
3.2. All sources for the article must be clearly disclosed and permissions obtained from the original authors (and original publishers if they hold the copyright) for any figures or significant extracts that are to be reproduced or quoted. Collection of such permissions is the responsibility of the authors.
4.0. Plagiarism
4.1. Submitted articles must be the authors’ own work. Plagiarism constitutes unethical scientific behaviour and is never acceptable. Plagiarism ranges from the unreferenced use of others’ ideas to submission of a complete paper under ‘new’ authorship. Méduse d’Or Publications routinely screens submissions for originality.
5.0. Duplicate and multiple publications and text recycling
5.1. Duplicate publication is the production of multiple papers with the same, or essentially the same, content by the same authors and is viewed as unacceptable. Submitted research articles must be novel and original.
5.2. Multiple publications arising from a single research project should be clearly identified as such and the primary publication should be referenced. Translations and adaptations for different audiences should be clearly identified as such, should acknowledge the original source, and should respect relevant copyright conventions and permission requirements. If in doubt, authors should seek permission from the original publisher before republishing any work.
5.3. Text recycling occurs when authors publish sections of the same text in more than one of their own publications. Authors should always be clear and cite any re-used text in the manuscript, respecting relevant copyright conventions and permission requirements. Authors should state in their cover letter if there are sections of the article that have already been published elsewhere. We acknowledge there are some instances where text recycling may be acceptable, and others where it is unacceptable. All text recycling will be investigated and considered on an individual basis by our Editors.
6.0. Parallel submission
6.1. It is unethical to submit the same, or essentially the same, article or manuscript to a second primary research publishing organisation whilst it remains under active consideration by another.
7.0. Conflicts of interest
7.1. All authors and co-authors are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest when submitting their article or manuscript. If the article or manuscript is subsequently accepted for publication, this information should be included in an acknowledgments section.
7.2. All research publications should include a full list of the current institutional affiliations of all authors, both academic and corporate. If a researcher is not affiliated to an institution or company, they can list themselves as “independent researcher”.
7.3. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed in the article or manuscript.
8.0. Ethics in peer-review and editing
8.1. Reviewers and editors review and evaluate submissions for publication in a transparent and justifiable manner.
8.2. Reviewers or editors with a conflict of interest withdraw from involvement in decisions on publication.
8.3. Reviewers maintain confidentiality unless there is prior approval for disclosure.
8.4. Reviewers and editors respect the rights of authors and applicants and they seek the necessary permissions to publish their work, while information and ideas obtained in the process of publication must be kept confidential and not used for competitive advantage.
8.5. Reviewers and editors should judge objectively the quality of the research reported, give fair, frank and constructive criticism and refrain from personal criticism of the authors.
8.6. Reviewers and editors are expected to point out plagiarism; if they believe that the work is substantially similar to a manuscript or paper published or submitted to another publisher, they should report this for further investigation.
9.0. Handling of misconduct
9.1. At Méduse d’Or Publications, our relationship with authors is based on trust, and we publish submitted material in good faith. We believe that authors have the prime responsibility for ensuring their researchers’ good conduct.
9.2. However, it is our responsibility to maintain the integrity of the academic record as far as possible. If a possible breach of this ethical policy, or similar misconduct affecting academic content of our publications, is brought to our attention, we will: a. handle the citation in a consistent and transparent fashion; b. ask the authors to respond; c. conduct our investigation process with integrity and fairness towards all parties involved.
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